


A Study in Bad Decisions

by Pixelatrix



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Deviates From Canon, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Gay, M/M, Romance, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2018-10-12 03:26:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 18,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10481034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixelatrix/pseuds/Pixelatrix
Summary: If Hendrix Ryder’s life had a book title, it would be 'A Tale of Two Twins: A Study in Bad Decisions'. Nothing goes to plan after he's defrosted from cryo. He winds up exiled to Kadera while his sister plays Pathfinder.Will Reyes Vidal be yet another bad decision in the long list of one's that he's made?An AU take on Mass Effect Andromeda.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> It's been so long since I wrote a story. I thought I'd attempt to dip my toes in the water again.
> 
> This story will likely contain spoilers for the game. The prologue is mostly spoiler free. The only spoilers in the prologue are really for the first twenty minutes of the game or so.
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

If Hendrix Ryder’s life had a book title, it would be 'A Tale of Two Twins: A Study in Bad Decisions'. His sister Joplin was the shooting star. She fulfilled all of their parents hopes and dreams with an easy grace.

He. Didn’t.

His father had begun to not so affectionately refer to him as the family fuck up. Hendrix had returned the favour by insisting on calling his dad an absentee asshole. Any attempts at ‘family togetherness’ had usually ended up in an all-out war between the two of them.

Alec Ryder.

Alliance Hero.

Alliance Joke.

Their father had found it far too easy to convince Joplin to buy into his dream of the Andromeda Initiative. Hendrix had said a firm no immediately. _More like fuck no—eat shit._ His mom had stepped in—as always—to bridge the gap and convince her son to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Hendrix had no idea how she’d managed to convince him. She always managed it. Their mom had always known how to soothe her son’s ruffled feathers.  It had been one of the many reasons losing her had hit him so hard.

Six hundred years later.

Hendrix regretted the decision. His mom had died before the journey from the Milky Way. His father died almost immediately upon arrival in Andromeda. And Joplin? She’d once again managed to remain the family treasure by becoming the Pathfinder.

_Well, fuck me._

He’d woken from a coma three days after the Hyperion arrived at the Nexus to find everything had gone to shit. All his father’s brilliant plans for this golden world hadn’t planned out. It was so tragic that he laughed for until his stomach hurt.

Joplin left him to deal with all the politician types on the Nexus while she played hero. Hendrix had no idea why she thought that was a bright plan. He had no patience for it and managed to piss off everyone but Kesh and Kandros within a week.

The krogan and turian seemed to appreciate his sharp-edged sense of humour.

By the time Joplin had managed to clear the way for an outpost on Eos, Hendrix earned himself a one way ticket to join the other exiles in Kadera. Spender had been the mastermind—Joplin ignored his (and Kesh’s) warnings about the man. Addison hadn’t stepped in to stop it. He didn’t even know if his sister was aware he’d gone; his implant hadn’t worked right since the screw up with his defrosting.

SAM couldn’t connect to him. Hendrix had refused to allow the doctors to probe his brain. His biotics worked fine and he had no intentions of allowing anyone to dick with the AI implant.

_Exiled._

_Thanks mom, I’m so glad I let you talk me into this fucking adventure._

Of all the places Hendrix had visited in his life, Kadera made him the angriest. The way Sloane treated those around her disgusted him. Her gang preyed upon the weak.

The rage that had been building since he woke on the Nexus exploded. One beautiful biotic blast eviscerated the two outcasts who had been beating up an angaran for no reason at all. He’d a distinct feeling his life in the port had just became more complicated.

“Are you always so gifted with diplomacy?” A silky voice came from the shadows of the alley to his left. “You’re drawing quite a bit of attention to yourself.”

Hendrix helped the angaran to her feet and watched her race away before turning toward his watcher. “My old man used to say I wielded subtlety around like a drunken krogan.”

“You won’t win many friends by interfering.” His watched stepped slowly out of the shadows. “Now, why would the pathfinder’s brother be so very far away from the Nexus? Trouble in paradise?”

“I’ll tell you what I told Spender when he shoved me into the transport. Go fuck yourself.” Hendrix couldn’t help grinning despite the edge to his voice. He could sense the danger in the stranger’s wicked smile and he’d always had an addiction to trouble. “Granted. You’re better looking than that fuckwitted asshole could ever be. Going to introduce yourself?”

“Reyes Vidal.”

Hendrix grinned wider when Reyes winked at him. “Hendrix Ryder—which you already knew. Family fuck up and biotic disaster—something you might not have known.”

“Welcome to Kadera.” Reyes waved grandly around the dock. “Why don’t you tell me about your journey over drinks?”

“You buying?”

“Not usually.”

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real spoilers in this chapter.
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

Life on Kadara was never dull. Never. Ever. Dull. Hendrix settled into an uneasy routine after the first few weeks. He created a small living space and a shop front in the slums, using the skills he learned in the Alliance to _procure_ goods from various willing and unwilling sources.

_Playing Robin Hood._

He raided criminals, outcast, and kett alike to provide practically free supplies to those abandoned to starvation and death in the slums. If some of the assholes ended up drowning in the poisoned waters, no one ever complained about it. The majority of them wouldn’t dare.

Hendrix had left the lifeless body of an assassin outside in the alley outside of his little _home_ as a warning.

_Don’t fuck with me._

“It smells.”

Hendrix stood up from where he’d been crouched attempting to rig up a _borrowed_ terminal. He’d hidden it inside a crate in case adventurous thieves tempted fate. “Breathe through your mouth.”

“I’ve so many better uses for—”

“Yes, yes, yes, insert bullshit pointless sexual innuendo.” Hendrix had decided days ago that Reyes Vidal was a tease—an attractive, conniving bastard of a tease. “What do you want now? I’m busy.”

“You wound me.” Reyes hopped over the counter to squat beside him. “You’ve got the QEC wired wrong.”

_Fuck._

Hendrix flung the tool in his hand across the floor in frustration. “Screw it. Joplin can message me if she wants. This vid will never work right.”

“You own an omni-tool.” Reyes ran the tip of his gloved finger across Hendrix’s wrist. “Why not use it?”

“She doesn’t respond.” Hendrix turned away from the suddenly sympathetic golden brown eyes watching him. “You haven’t answered what you’re doing here.”

“Have you eaten today?” Reyes stood up and rested his hip against the edge of the counter; his usual smirk disappeared suddenly. “You’re continuing to draw attention to yourself. Sloane found you amusing initially—now she’s out for blood. Watch yourself.”

Hendrix got to his feet with a tired groan. “Good luck to her. Her last attempt didn’t work out so well.”

Reyes looked over toward the door. “Explains the smell.”

He started to bend down to return to tweaking his new equipment only for Reyes to grab his arm and pull him back up. “Yes?”

“When was the last time you ate?”

Hendrix glanced down at the hand on his arm. “I’ve eaten.”

“Aren’t biotics supposed to take better care of themselves?” Reyes released his arm but only to catch him by the shoulders to guide him toward the door. “We’ll eat together.”

“Why? So you can stiff me with the bill again?” Hendrix had paid for their drinks twice now. “Cheap bastard.”

One thing Hendrix had learned in his short time on Kadera was Reyes didn’t generally take no for an answer. He wound up joining him in his private room at the club in the slums. Their meal consisted of something that slightly resembled some sort of sandwich.

_What the fuck is this shit?_

_I’m going to die from indigestion._

_Should’ve stuck with the nutrient paste._

“Tastes better with whiskey.” Reyes slid a glass across the table toward him.

“More like the whiskey burns your tastes buds and you can’t taste anything.”

“Same difference.” Reyes poured a glass for himself. “What are your plans?”

“Universal peace.” Hendrix shoved away his half-eaten meal.  “I wouldn’t turn down a good burger and fries—particularly if the meat didn’t come from some ground up creature I’ve never heard of that smells worse than the dead body outside of my door.”

“Universal peace?” Reyes licked a drop of whiskey off his bottom lip, and Hendrix tried not to think about how mesmerized he was by the simple action. “You’re aware you could move the body, right?”

“What?” Hendrix gave the man a toothy grin. “It hurts to know you don’t appreciate my attempts to liven up the place. Every home needs a welcome mat.”

“A stinking corpse?”

“Makes a statement.” He stretched his legs out in front of him, sinking further into the couch. “Are you going to tell me what you want?”

“You doubt my kindness?” Reyes grinned over the rim of his glass at Hendrix before lifting it up to toast him. “I’m hurt.”

Men like Reyes Vidal rarely offered anything for free. _Not even kindness._ Hendrix liked the man—but he’d never make the mistake of blindly trusting him. Life had taught him to never take anything for granted particularly smugglers who made their living trading on the secrets of others.

_I’d never trust him._

_I’d definitely fuck him._

“What _are_ you thinking about now?” Reyes shifted forward in the chair with his elbows resting on his knees, and his gaze completely focused on him. “Hendrix?”

“Whatever it is you want, I’m not interested even if you fucking bribed me with a steak.” He shook his head and shoved the last of the sandwich into his mouth. “

_Fuck._

_Those damn eyes._

_This’ll end a fucking disaster._


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

News of Joplin’s grand successes filtered to Kadara through various sources. Hendrix hadn’t heard a word from his twin directly. _Nothing._ He tried not to feel hurt by her cutting him off; her crew kept him up to date on everything going on frequently.

It hadn’t surprised him when Gil messaged him the first time. They’d known each other for years, long before the Andromeda Initiative. They’d played a ton of poker together; he still owed the man fifty credits.

Drack had admired his telling Addison and Tann to fuck off.  Lexi worried about how being exiled was affecting his grieving process. Vetra had appreciated his helping out her little sister and insisted on diverting supplies to him. All of them touched base with him at least once a day.

_Unlike his twin._

He particularly appreciated Vetra who sent him coffee and other ‘non-essentials’ that he couldn’t live without. _Fucking Coffee._ He’d craved a good cup since being dumped on Kadara. The first diverted supply crate had been a gift from a turian goddess.

_And Reyes, the thieving bastard, keeps fucking stealing it._

The situation in the slums continued to devolve steadily. Sloane and her outcasts ran the port with an increasingly cruel and merciless efficiency. None of the exiles appeared equipped to deal with any of it.

In his opinion, Hendrix thought most of the innocent exiles had yet to recover from the trauma of what had happened on the Nexus. They’d been banished to this port, and suddenly Sloane became this leader. He didn’t think it would’ve required much to lull all of them into believing she had their best interested at heart.

Maybe she did at first. But now? The only interests were quite clearly selfish ones. It reminded him of a quote his mom used to throw at his father: _absolute power corrupts absolutely._

Scientists, farmers, and colonists had no training to fight against former marines, mercs, and special operatives. They’d placed their trust in Sloane. She’d repaid them by creating her gang utopia and demanding their subservience and payments for protecting them.

Helping where possible, Hendrix found himself steadily on a collision course with the outcasts. He had the training to protect himself—but Sloane had an army of criminals behind her. The collective had tried to reach out to him to ally; he didn’t know if he could trust them yet.

Reyes Vidal was another piece of the Kadara puzzle. The man had to be more than a simple smuggler. Hendrix refused to allow his attraction to the man to blind him to the secrets that had to be hidden in the shadows.

All the potential drama aside, Hendrix had found one of the silver linings of being exiled—no crippling expectations on his shoulders. He had his shop and his growing underground network. It seemed the more he helped the exploited on Kadara, the more they wanted to return the favour in any little way they could.

His father would’ve been appalled by the illegal nature of many of his activities. _Fucking hypocrite._ His mother would’ve been proud of his perseverance. He didn’t know how Joplin would react; she always took great pleasure in doing the exact opposite of what he anticipated.

“Put the coffee down before I shoot you.” Hendrix didn’t bother looking up from the medical equipment that he’d been trying to fix for three days. It belonged to one of the doctors in the slums who tried to help the drug-addicted exiles in the slums. His offer to repair it had been a bit premature. A clink of glass against metal drew his attention. “Stop fucking stealing my coffee; I only have enough for a few more cups.”

“Why the hell would I be interested in coffee?”

_Fuck._

_Not Reyes._

Hendrix set the tool in his hand to the side and got to his feet to stare his visitors down. “Ahh. Her highness has deigned to walk amongst the dirty peasants again. To what do I owe the pleasure, your majesty?

Sloane stood in the opening to the crate that he called home with her turian guard behind her. “I told you not to stick your Nexus nose in my business.”

Hendrix leaned casually against one of the many boxes behind him. His arms hung loosely at his side, biotics at the ready. He could protect himself even if his weapons were locked up in the safe across the room. “I’m an exile, _your majesty_. The Nexus has nothing to do with my nose or any other part of my body for that matter.”

“I’ll put your head on a spike if you don’t learn to behave.” Sloane crossed her arms and glared at him. “This is your last warning.”

Hendrix grabbed one of the packs of cigarettes that Vetra had managed to find for him. He lit one and made a show of blowing smoke into Sloane’s face. “Consider me warned. I’ll be a good boy.”

Sloane spat on the floor at his feet and sneered at him. “Next time I see you, you’ll get more than a warning.”

“A spanking?” Hendrix grinned at her angry huff. “Sure you don’t want some coffee?”

The wither glare she sent his direction was clearly a resounding no. Hendrix pretended to ignore her entirely, but he kept one eye on the door until he thought for certain they’d left. He’d have to set up some sort of security around the area. It wouldn’t do to be surprised by assassins in the night.

“You’re garnering a reputation.”

Hendrix flicked his box of cigarettes across the counter to Reyes. “Trying to catch up with the Kadara man of mystery.”

“Oh?” Reyes ignored the cigarettes and deftly snagged the cup of coffee right out of his hand. “Who is this man of mystery? Is it someone that I know?”

“Idiot.” Hendrix pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment. “Did you want something?

“Noticed Sloane paying you a visit.”

Hendrix snuffed out his cigarette before responding. “Noticed? Spying on me again? Should I check my sleeping quarters for cameras as well?”

“Would I do a sneaky thing like that?” Reyes drained the coffee and set the mug aside.

“Yes.” Hendrix grabbed the empty cup with a resigned sigh. “Go away, Reyes. I’m not making another cup of coffee for you.”

“I come for more than coffee.”

Hendrix’s lips quirked up into a sly grin. “I’d hope so. I’ve heard of kinks—but caffeine is certainly a new one.”

“I—”

“What exactly do you do with coffee?” Hendrix ignored the spluttering man to return to fixing the medical gear.  He could feel the heat of Reyes' gaze on the back of his head. “You can see yourself out, right?”

 "A ship landed at the dock a few minutes ago." Reyes ignored his dismissal. "I met briefly with the captain of it."

"And?"

"It's a beautiful ship--The Tempest." Reyes sounded far too amused with whatever information he had, which put Hendrix immediately on edge. "The captain is almost as beautiful, though not as attractive as her brother."

Hendrix felt the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose yet again, or maybe whack his head against the wall. "Just spit it out, Reyes, for fuck's sake."

"Your sister is meeting with Sloane."

" _Fuck._ "

 

 

 


	4. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a few slight spoilers in this chapter--I'm dipping my toes in the water with some of the events that happen on Kadara in the game. I'll definitely be straying from canon the further the story goes. Also, I know I tagged for explicit sex--we'll get there. They're not going to hop into bed this chapter. Maybe not even in the next one.
> 
> Also, I'm open to prompts and ideas so feel free to comment with them. =)
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

 Joplin had been on Kadara for two days. Hendrix knew this because almost every member of her squad had paid him a visit. Drack and Gil even brought whisky and a deck of cards; they’d played for hours while the _pathfinder_ tried to convince Sloane to release an angaran named Vehn Terev.

_Unstoppable force meets immovable object._

No doubt the impact of the two hard-headed women meeting would be felt across the port. Hendrix saw no need to get involved. He was perfectly happy to stay in his shipping container with his new friends and their booze.  While Gil robbed him blind of the few credits to his name, Hendrix amused himself by flirting with his old friend, mostly because Reyes kept showing up to glare at them.  

 _Is he jealous_?

Lexi had even ventured from the safety of the _Tempest_. She tried to convince Hendrix to come on the ship. He politely declined and asked Drack and Gil to escort her back on board.

Tension had begun to grow even worse in the port. Reyes had been vanishing more frequently. People started showing up dead. The outcasts were more vicious in their treatment of anyone not in the gang.

Not an ideal time for the pathfinder to walk in and start ordering people around.

It didn’t take a genius to realize things couldn’t continue on indefinitely. Volcanos eventually had to erupt. Kadara would implode—Hendrix only hoped he could cushion the impact on the innocents.

For the moment, Hendrix used his time alone to repair the weapons that a turian fairy godmother had dropped off at his door a few hours ago. He’d been in dire need of something other than the pistol purchased from the market. The supply crate had included a sniper rifle, assault rifle, and better armor; it just needed a few tweaks.

“Dad would be _so_ proud.” Joplin’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Hendrix refrained from sticking his tongue out at his sister when she walked into his home. “He’s dead. Pretty sure pride in his children is completely beyond him. Then again, I never fucking made the great Alec Ryder happy while he was breathing—even when I played the picture perfect Alliance Marine. You were the favourite.”

“Not this again. They didn’t have favourites.” Joplin moved further toward him and hopped up to sit on a crate. She ignored his derisive snort. “What the hell happened on the Nexus, Henny?”

“Spender’s a crooked shithead and I’m not convinced that Addison isn’t right there in the shit along with him.” Hendrix scratched his jaw and glared at his sister. He expected her to argue with him. She’d always tended to side rather blindly with authority. “The Nexus doesn’t have clean hands in this exile business, Joplin. You’re going to have to look at this without dad’s rose-tinted glasses.”

“Dad—”

Hendrix waved his hand sharply to cut her off. “He’s dead. Can we not fucking argue about him even beyond the grave? He doesn’t need you to defend him.”

“He left vids for me to watch.” Joplin looked conflicted before finally continuing. “There’s something going on with the Nexus, and Dad, and all of this.”

“And?”

“ _Hendrix._ ”

His fingers tightened on the assault rifle that he’d been fixing up. “What? I was exiled. They tossed my ass into a shuttle without even letting me get my shit from the lockers. I was dropped off on Kadara with next to fucking nothing. My level of interest in dad’s dream for Andromeda of the Nexus has dropped to fucking nothing. You can stomp your feet and shout at me all you want. I’m done with the initiative.”

“Don’t you want your Sam implant fixed?”

Hendrix blinked at the sudden change in conversation. “What? Why would I want that? I’d rather you—and Sam—not have an insight into my brain all the time.”

“So, you’re just giving up on the dream?” Joplin frowned disapprovingly at him.

“What part of exiled don’t you understand?” Hendrix hated fighting with his twin. They might be very different people but they’d always had each other’s backs, mostly, unless their dad had gotten involved. Joplin had always been too quick to cut their absentee father slack. “I’ll never be a part of the Nexus again.”

“ _Fine._ ” Her eyes narrowed even further. “I’m meeting some contact to try and find a way around Sloane. Stay safe.”

He watched her storm out of his container. Joplin would likely have slammed a door if he’d had one. He wondered who the contact was.

_Someone helping Joplin get around the outcasts?_

_Who…_

_Fucking Reyes._

Hendrix hadn’t quite managed to connect all of the dots on what was happening between the outcasts and the collective. He did have a distinct feeling that Reyes Vidal had his attractive ass right in the middle of it. It wasn’t a comfort knowing his twin sister would be wading deep into the murky, toxic waters of Kadara with her ridiculous sense of honor.

She wouldn’t understand the exiles.

She would paint them all with the same brush.

_A bit like Addison._

_And Tann._

With a frustrated sigh, Hendrix gave up attempting to work on the weapons. His mind whirled in confusion over everything going on around them. A passing salarian managed to provide a distraction by telling him another body had been found.

_Shit._

 “Going somewhere?”

Hendrix paused in the middle of securing his container to find Reyes leaning against a nearby wall. “How’d the meeting go with my sister?”

“I’ve no idea what you’re referring to,” Reyes shrugged. “The pathfinder—”

“You usually do a much better job at lying.” He finished sealing up his home to keep the thieving assholes out and started to walk by Reyes, who immediately stuck an arm out to block his path. “One Ryder twin not sufficient for you? Did you really need a meeting with both of us in the same day? Did Joplin buy into your smooth charm?”

“Jealous?”

Hendrix’s lips quirked up into a bemused grin. “Not in the least. You’ve a better chance at seducing a fiend than you do with my sister. She prefers her men to be on the _right_ side of the law. You most certainly do not fall into that category.”

Reyes watched him through half-closed eyes. “Have I upset you?”

“Not recently.”

Lowering his arm, Reyes moved to block the alley with his entire body. Hendrix found himself boot to boot with the man. They stood close enough their thighs almost touched.

“What do you want?” Hendrix struggled to surrender to the urge to sway even closer. “Shouldn’t you be busy pulling strings from the shadows?”

Reyes smirked at him. “I want _many_ things.”

“Does one of them include—”

Reyes cut him off by grabbing Hendrix by the hoodie and slamming him against the nearby wall. He shot forward to press their bodies together; his arms came up on either side of Hendrix to trap him. “I want _many_ things.”

“So you said.” Hendrix brought one hand up to keep them apart—at least their upper bodies.  He tried not to think too much on how tightly pressed together other parts of them were. “I won’t fall into your lap.”

“Good. Very good.” Reyes had maybe an inch or two of height and a bit of muscle on him and the man used it well. He bent his head until he grazed his lips against Hendrix’s. “No falling required.”

“Hey kid.” Drack’s voice boomed from further down the alley. “Want me to shoot him the ass?”

Hendrix twisted his head to the side to avoid Reyes’ eyes while his shoulders shook with the effort not to burst out laughing. “I’m fine. Shouldn’t you be running around with the pathfinder?”

“Nah. She took the other squishy humans with her.” Drack stomped toward them. “You sure I shouldn’t shoot him?”

“Not this time.”


	5. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Straying from canon--and DEFINITE spoilers for events on Kadara.
> 
> I'm open to prompts and ideas so feel free to comment with them. =)
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

Dead bodies stacked up in the slums. Hendrix found himself inundated by outcasts constantly. Drack and Vetra had helped him fight off their most recent attempt on his life. In the process, they’d found a datapad on one of them that offered an explanation for the sudden influx.

Someone had deflected the search for the Charlatan to his doorstep. The breadcrumbs led Sloane straight to Hendrix, which clearly let the actual snake dance circles around everyone on Kadara. He couldn’t understand why they’d chosen him of all the patsies available.

_Well, maybe not me specifically._

The datapad had indicated a human male in the slums. It was likely an assumption on Sloane or one of her crew that caused them to attack him. He _had_ been causing problems for them.

Drack and Vetra eventually returned to the _Tempest_ with Joplin, who’d decided something on another planet needed to be handled immediately. The poor exiles of Kadara could apparently wait for help. They were used to it.

_Typical._

Whether C-Sec, Alliance, the Council, or the Initiative, bullshit politics always forgot about the people who needed their attention the most. During their time on the Citadel, Hendrix as a teenager had volunteered for a doctor on the lower wards. Joplin had worked on the Presidium.

They’d learned very different things during their months of volunteering. Hendrix saw first-hand how those in charged tended to prioritize care. They often allowed those most at risk to fall through the cracks whether accidental or on purpose.

Working at the Presidium, Joplin had discovered an almost obsessive desire to achieve _grand_ things. She wanted to be one of the people making decisions for others. He often thought she had a little too much of their father in her.

_Let it go._

_It’s not worth it._

With a shuttle _borrowed_ from the outcasts, Hendrix decided to track down the nave point where the trail of the Charlatan started. He flew all over the annoyingly treacherous terrain of Kadara. They were clever, whoever they were, bouncing their trail from one terminal to another.

At the last location, Hendrix ran into a base taken over by kett. _What the hell are they doing here?_ He took them all out, got a bullet in his shoulder, and found one piece of information.  It led him back to the slums to Tartarus.

_How convenient._

_What do I know about the Charlatan?_

_Sneaky bastard .who might be doing criminal shit, definitely seems to be helping those Sloane tosses into the slums._

_Now who does that sound like?_

The bumpy, painful trip back to the slums put Hendrix in a foul mood. Since he’d helped Dr Nakamoto retrieve his formula from Sloane’s people, the man seemed more than happy to help him with his bullet wound. He’d gotten healed up, but it still hurt.

By the time he stormed into Tartarus, Hendrix’s rage had hit an all-time high. Whether on purpose or not, he had a distinct feeling Reyes had led Sloane to his door. His fist itched to become fully acquainted with the bastard’s jaw.

“Hendrix.” Reyes turned away from his terminal when Hendrix walked into his private room. “I planned to visit—”

Hendrix cut him off with a hard punch that caught the man off guard and sent him reeling backwards. “Did you? Or would it have been the fucking Charlatan visiting me?”

Reyes swiped his hand across his mouth to clear some of the blood from his busted lip. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

He couldn’t stop himself from shoving Reyes hard into his terminal. “The fuck you don’t. I got shot in the shoulder because Sloane assumed I was the fucking Charlatan. They’ve been hounding me for two days over this—and call me paranoid, but it seems to lead right to your door.”

“Ahh. How troubling.”

“You son of a—” Hendrix forgot all about his biotics and training, launching himself at the smug bastard only for Reyes to sweep him off his feet and drop him to the floor. “Fuck.”

“I can explain. I promise.”

“How many promises do you make, Reyes?” Hendrix swung his body around on the floor so he could reach out to grasp the man by the calves and yank him off his feet. “Are you the fucking Charlatan?”

Reyes tried to get up, but Hendrix scrambled up to pin him to the ground by straddling his waist with his hands firmly grasping the man by the shoulders. “I’m not.”

“You’re a fucking liar.” Hendrix found himself drawn into the man; his head lowered until a mere inch separated their mouths.

“Perhaps, but I am a handsome liar, no?” Reyes tilted his chin up, and their lips brushed together. “You shouldn’t delve too deeply into the Charlatan—not yet.”

“Shouldn’t I?” Hendrix crushed their mouths together in a harsh kiss that left them gasping for air minutes later. “Never been good at listening when people tell me not to do something.”

“ _Hendrix._ ”

He pushed himself up to his feet, ignoring the hand Reyes held out to ask for help up. “You can help yourself up—you manage to help yourself to so many fucking things.”

Reyes stood up and brushed off his trousers while watching Hendrix warily. “Some secrets have to be kept a little longer. We’ll talk. I promise.”

“You promise?” Hendrix rolled his eyes. “And I’m supposed to simply spend my days fighting off Sloane’s people who think I’m the Charlatan? While the real fucking asshole is running around doing whatever the fuck you’re doing?”

“Yes, though I admit nothing.”

Hendrix rubbed his forehead with a groan before moving over to use a pack of medi-gel to heal Reyes’ busted lip. “I’m an idiot.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re a fucking idiot, too.” He punched the man lightly in the shoulder. “The kiss didn’t mean a damn thing, by the way.”

_Except it does._

_And I’m fucked._


	6. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Straying from canon--and DEFINITE spoilers for events on Kadara.
> 
> I'm open to prompts and ideas so feel free to comment with them. =)
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

A week following their mild-mannered altercation, Hendrix hadn’t actually seen Reyes once. He kept himself busy working with a group of angarans. They’d been falling ill in the badlands; he managed to identify the problem—someone poisoning their water.

He fixed their water pumps, called out Ryoto to ensure they made it back to health, and tracked down the assholes who’d attempted to murder them.  _Not a bad week of work._ Once he returned the doctor safely to the slums, he planned to reward himself with a beer. His sister in her armoured glory stood outside of his container would _definitely_ put a damper on his plans.

“Long time no see, Sis. How goes the pathfinding?”  Hendrix started to unlock his shop.

“We need to talk.” She shifted over to block his view. “About you and what the hell you’ve been up to on Kadara—all these dead bodies.”

Hendrix assumed she meant the exiles he’d tracked down earlier that morning. “They deserved it.”

“Do you know how disappointed—”

Not interested in rehashing tired conversations, Hendrix dodged away from his sister. He headed toward the gates to the Bad Lands. Rumours had been circulating about a group of exiles attempting to make it on their own—away from the gangs; he’d been trying to track them down to see if they needed any help.

Help without Nexus or Outcast strings attached to it.

“Will you stop making life difficult for me—and yourself?” Joplin caught Hendrix on his way out of the slums. She dragged him back past the warden and up the stairs leading to Tartarus through the door toward Reyes’ private room. She pointed toward Reyes. “He claims you aren’t The Charlatan. Sloane insists that you are. Are you?”

_Oh._

_That’s what this is about?_

_What the fuck is with everyone thinking I’m the damn Charlatan?_

_Fucking Reyes._

“Me?” Hendrix sent his twin an annoyed glare. “You honestly think I’m The Charlatan?”

“Well? Are you?” Joplin had a decidedly uncertain look in her eyes.

Hendrix masked his hurt with a forced smile. “I haven’t been here that long. How the fuck could I already be the leader of a gang?”

“You give yourself far too little credit.” Reyes’s helpful interjection earned him glares from both twins. He shrugged at them. “He does. Perhaps the Pathfinder enjoys the praise of the _people,_ but her brother has done more for those in the slums. They respect him.”

Hendrix clenched his jaw tightly to hold back the sudden flash of emotion at Reyes’ words. His voice came out rougher and sharper as a result. “Don’t help.”

Reyes lifted one eyebrow, seeming obviously bemused. “Are you going to punch me again?”

“Not today.” He found himself exchanging a grin with the man, despite his rising frustration at the current line of questions from his sister. “Yet, anyway.”

Joplin glanced between them—back and forth several times before eventually settling on glaring at Hendrix. “Seriously? Him? You come six hundred years in cryo, get unfrozen, get yourself exiled, and he’s the one you’re drooling over?”

“I punched him,” Hendrix muttered defensively. “And I don’t fucking drool.”

“Don’t you?” She narrowed her eyes on him. He easily recognized her patented ‘I’m the older twin, and you will do what I want’ glare. “Are. You. The. Charlatan?”

“Unnecessary emphasis doesn’t change the stupidity of the question.”  Hendrix dodged the underpowered biotic throw his sister tossed in his direction. “Missed me.”

“ _Henny._ ”

He rubbed his forehead for a moment. His amusement faded away completely. “I’m not The Charlatan, Joplin. I’ve no idea why Sloane decided to focus on me, aside from the fact that I won’t pay her demands or do her bidding.”

“Fine.” Joplin’s shoulders relaxed slightly, which only served to make Hendrix feel worse. She truly hadn’t trusted him enough. “Do you know who is?”

Only his stubborn willpower kept Hendrix from immediately glancing over at Reyes. If his sister didn’t trust his word, he wouldn’t provide her with any ammunition against anyone else. His personal feelings about Reyes aside, he believed the _Charlatan_ might be better for Kadara than Sloane.

_Might?_

_He’s definitely better for the exiles and angaran, even if the sneaky fucking bastard refuses to admit to being ‘he of the brilliant codename.’_

After dithering for several minutes, Joplin apparently realized neither of the men intended to provide her with anything useful. She sent her brother a last glare of warning. Hendrix knew they hadn’t heard the last on the subject.

Joining the Initiative and the journey to Andromeda had been intended to bring the three Ryders remaining closer together. His mother made it her dying wish. Hendrix couldn’t help thinking not only had it taken their father way but also placed a growing wedge between he and his sister.

“You didn’t share your suspicions with the Pathfinder.” Reyes waited until one of the bartenders brought them a fresh bottle of whatever swill he’d been drinking. He waved Hendrix towards one of the seats in the room and slid a glass across the table toward him. “Changed your mind on it being me?”

“Nope.” Hendrix sniffed suspiciously at the glass before daring to take a sip. “How the fuck did you get dark ale?”

“It’s a secret.” Reyes winked at him.

_I hate the fucking wink._

He didn’t.  His day had been long enough that focusing on the ale seemed wiser than dwelling on Reyes being a conniving point of frustration. With any luck, his answers would be found at the bottom of the bottle.

“Why didn’t you share your thoughts on who I am with your sister?” Reyes normally kept a playful teasing air about him. His eyes seemed to drill a hole into Hendrix with their intense focus. “Could it be you like me?”

“Fishing for compliments to boost your already massive ego?” Hendrix deflected the question with a teasing comment of his own.

“My ego?” Reyes placed a hand over his heart. “I’m far too shy to ever think of enticing compliments.”

“ _Right._ ” Hendrix tapped his fingers against his glass of ale. “You realize things can’t go on like this indefinitely. Sloane will continue to push and so will my sister. How the hell are you going to resolve things without it turning into a blood bath?”

“If I were the Charlatan, I’m certain I would have the most brilliant of plans in the works.” He set his own glass aside and shifted over until he sat beside Hendrix. “Are you interested in helping?”

“Finally admitting to being the Charlatan?” Hendrix blinked when his cup was plucked out his hand and set beside the one already on the table. “What kind of help are we talking about? I’m not playing errand boy for anyone.”

Reyes caught him by the shoulders of his armor to tug him closer; he hadn’t gotten to change out of it after his sister’s interruption. “Why would I need an errand boy?”

“Then?”

Reyes slid one of his hands up to Hendrix’s head, grasping him by the hair and pushing him forward. “And if I were the Charlatan?”

“What are you up to now, Reyes?” Hendrix breathed his question against the lips that he’d spent days trying not to think about—and failing pitifully. “What are you going to do when Sloane finally comes calling?”

Reyes caught Hendrix’s bottom lip between his teeth before running his tongue across it. He released it and grinned at the way Hendrix couldn’t resist leaning forward for more. “We fight. Will you fight with me?”

“I did punch you.”

Reyes pressed forward for another bruising kiss with his fingers still grasping Hendrix’s hair tightly. “Not what I meant.”

“Oh, why the fuck not, I’ve already been exiled once.” Hendrix looped his arm around Reyes to pull him even closer. They practically lay on top of each other on the couch. “You _do_ have a plan right.”

“Of a sort.”

“ _Fuck._ ” Hendrix intended to say more, but Kian raced in to toss a datapad toward Reyes. “Problem?”

Reyes held a hand up while quickly reading through the message. He got to his feet while holding out the datapad toward Hendrix. “Do you want to change Kadara for the better?”

“That’s a loaded question.”

“Do you want to see the work the Charlatan does?” Reyes pulled back the datapad. “Are you fighting beside me or against me?”

 

 

 


	7. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I’d already decided where I wanted to go with this chapter, but ArtKat gave me a brilliant idea to sneak into the story. So thanks for that. The story definitely goes further away from canon here.
> 
> This chapter sort of brings us to the tipping point of what will be the 'meat' of this story. So the next few chapters should heat up with action (and other fun things lol)
> 
> Straying from canon--and DEFINITE spoilers for events on Kadara.
> 
> I'm open to prompts and ideas so feel free to comment with them. =)
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

Stretched out on top of a rocky ledge, Hendrix had a tricked-out Black Widow in his arms, a present from Vetra after she discovered he’d won several sharp-shooting competitions. Reyes had convinced him to take part in double-crossing Sloane in a duel. They both agreed Kadara would be a better, safer place without the power hungry former Nexus security boss reigning over the port.

_How badly could this go?_

_Shit._

_I just fucking jinxed us._

“Keep an eye out,” Reyes muttered from the shadows to his right.

“I’m not some fucking cadet, _Charlatan._ ” Hendrix had made it his goal in life to overuse the ridiculous moniker and infused it with as much sarcasm as he could muster. “I’ll watch your ass carefully, _Charlatan._ ”

“I begin to regret telling you.”

“You didn’t _tell_ me, though, did you?” Hendrix flicked a pebble in the general direction of the heavy sigh. “Poor _Charlatan_ can’t get any respect.”

“Just keep an eye on the rest of me while you’re staring at my ass.” Reyes didn’t need to step into the light for Hendrix to know he had a smirk on his face. “I’m confident it will be hard to control yourself.”

“Careful all that ego doesn’t make you fucking topple over.” Hendrix shifted the weight of the sniper rifle. “How long do we have to wait? I’m starting to itch in places I can’t scratch. When’s the queen showing up?”

“Now.” Reyes’ harsh whisper cut off any further conversation.

Watching in silence at first, Hendrix spotted Sloane striding into the cave. He groaned inwardly when he noticed three familiar figures behind her—Joplin, Cora, and Liam. _Fuck. Why couldn’t she bring Drack and Vetra?_ Those two would’ve understood why Sloane had to be dealt with once and for all. They’d agree with him and not his sister, whose sense of justice wouldn’t allow her to do the occasionally dirty deeds required to keep a place like Kadara safe.

He saw immediately the moment Joplin put two and two together and knew in an instant that things wouldn’t go to plan.  His focus strayed to Reyes’ ass for a second, highlighted nicely by the scope of his rifle. A shout of sniper drew his attention back in time to see Joplin knocking Sloane to the floor.

_Fuck me._

_I haven’t even fired a fucking shot yet, talk about premature evasive action._

Using his jetpack to launch himself into the air, Hendrix leapt into the fray and landed in front of Reyes in time to take a bullet to the shoulder for the man. Joplin stared blankly from the weapon to him. She looked horrified to have shot him.

“We must get out of here.” Reyes caught Hendrix by his uninjured arm to drag him through the winding tunnels of the cave out a back entrance. He practically threw him into the waiting shuttle and jumped in after.  “Damn it.”

Hendrix stood beside him and watched as Joplin raced up to the ledge. She stared at him with her rifle lowered though Cora and Liam had theirs focused on the shuttle. “Are you going to shoot me again?”

“ _Henny._ ”

He would’ve shrugged, but his shoulder had started to burn. “Do good your way, sis. I’ll pick up the pieces for all the people who don’t fit into the Nexus’ perfect little world.”

Stepping back out of the way, Hendrix stared at Joplin until door closed and blocked her from view. He took it as a good sign the shuttle took off without being blasted out of the sky. They’d clearly declared themselves enemies of the outcasts—he hoped that didn’t mean he’d end up in more fights with his sister.

“Take us back to the base,” Reyes shouted to the pilot before turning his attention to helping Hendrix out of his chest armor. He peeled off the now bloody T-shirt underneath it as well. “Medi-gel now? Or would you rather our doctor look at it first?”

“Doctor? Ryoto working for you now?” Hendrix worried the doctor might end up caught up in the fighting that would inevitably come from this disaster.  The doc wouldn’t find the slums safe much longer given his affiliations. “He’d be a good asset.”

“He’ll meet us there. I’ll have someone pick him up.” Reyes pulled up his omni-tool. “We’ll sneak him out of the Slums. I’ve no doubt Sloane will make life harder on anyone associated with me—and you.”

“Joplin’s going to kill me,” Hendrix sighed dramatically. “Ironic given she fucking shot me.”

His sister would be furious—but heartbroken. He still remembered the time she accidentally tripped him. He’d broken his arm, and she’d been inconsolable for days.

The past twenty-four hours had been an adrenaline filled catastrophe. Hendrix sat on a bench in a shuttle beside Reyes. He tilted his head back to rest against the seat and pondered what he to do next.

“Are you alright?” Reyes sounded worried.

“You’re an idiot.” Hendrix didn’t bother opening his eyes. “And I’m a fucking idiot for agreeing to go with you.”

“I _am_ sorry, Hendrix. Your sister—”

“Reyes?”

“Yes.”

“Just—shut up.” Hendrix would’ve smacked the man, but he hurt badly enough that he didn’t have the energy for it. “Fucking clusterfuck of a plan.”

_Fuck._


	8. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm open to prompts and ideas so feel free to comment with them. =)
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

With Ryoto insisting on him resting for at least a day, Hendrix found a private space at the Collective base. He had one of the few krogans in the gang drag a couch into a storage room for him and made himself at home. He read through messages from Drack, Vetra, Lexi and Gil—all wanting to know if he was okay. Joplin had sent one as well; hers read more like a reprimand than a concerned sibling.

She cared. He knew she did. She also cared a bit too much about what their father would’ve said.

_Always dad._

Joplin was their father’s daughter as he’d been their mother’s son. Hendrix didn’t require a note from his sister to imagine what Alec Ryder’s response to his actions would’ve been. A classic ‘do as I say, not as I do’ lecture followed by a sharp reprimand not to ruin the family name.

_Old fucking hypocrite._

Stretching out to get more comfortable, Hendrix snagged a T-shirt from his bag to bunch up as a pillow. He had no doubts the situation on Kadara would get far worse before it got any better. Joplin might be focused on the rules and the Initiative’s mission, but the odds of her curtailing Sloane were slim to none.

The shootout in the cave likely only increased Sloane’s desire to be in control of the port. He had no doubts she would seek to eradicate all of the resistance on Kadara. The weak and innocent would need his help even more than they had before.

_Fuck Reyes and his fucking brilliant plan._

_Idiot._

“A package arrived for you.” Reyes stepped into the small room that Hendrix had claimed for his own. “It’s a big large to bring here. I believe Vetra snuck supplies off _The Tempest_ for you.”

“Fine,” Hendrix grunted. He still harboured more than a bit of frustrated annoyance at Reyes for the entire debacle. _Ungrateful bastard._ “Anything else?”

“I am sorry.”

Hendrix waved off the useless apology. “Liar.”

“Perhaps.” Reyes sounded like he was smirking, but Hendrix refused to glance in the man’s direction.  His brain tended to turn off and drift south when he looked at him. “Thank you.”

The gratitude sounded far more genuine than the apology. Hendrix sat up and swung his legs around to make space for Reyes. He patted the spot beside him and waited for the man to sit.

“Are you thanking me for taking the shot for you or for not shooting you in the ass when I had the chance?” Hendrix retrieved his cigarettes and lit one for himself before handing it over to Reyes who got one for himself. “You did have a backup plan, right? Tell me you have a fucking plan B or C or D or F—for we’ve completely fucked up.”

“I’m thanking you for having my back in the cave when you could’ve easily allowed Sloane and the Pathfinder to take me down.” Reyes held the cigarette loosely in his fingers. “You could’ve shot me. Your sister…family bonds usually come before anything else.”

Hendrix marked out a bitter laugh. “The Ryders generally avoid conventional thinking when it comes to the concept of family togetherness.”

“Still—”

He took a drag of his cigarette and waved a hand sharply to interrupt Reyes. “What’s done is done. Leave it. I’m more interested in the question you haven’t answered. Is there a fucking plan for what comes next or not?”

“Half a plan.”

“ _Fuck_.” Hendrix dropped his cigarette and crushed it under his boot. “Sloane won’t let this go.”

“True.”

“That’s all you have to say? Where’s that skill with words now, Shena?” Hendrix regretted discarding his half-smoked cigarette and reached for the pack again only for Reyes to grab his hand. “What?”

Reyes flicked his unlit cigarette to the side. “Words aren’t my only talent.”

Before Hendrix could retort, Reyes caught him by the neck to tug him into a kiss. His hands gently explored him as well, carefully avoiding his shoulder. Ryoto had insisted he should take it easy after all—the Charlatan had been there for the examination.

_Fucking in the storage closet probably isn’t on the doc’s list of approved activities._

Hendrix winced when Reyes started to press him backwards, and the movement pulled on his barely healed injury. “Not sure my shoulder’s up for this just yet.”

“Let me show you how skilled my mouth can be.” Reyes gave another of his infuriating winks before shifting down until he knelt between Hendrix’s now spread legs on the sofa. “Now is the time to say no.”

Hendrix’s cock twitched with interest just from his imagining what might happen next. “Is now the time to stop fucking running off at the mouth and do something?”

“Pay attention.” Reyes watched him through half-lidded eyes while slowly beginning to remove Hendrix’s trousers and boxers. “I won’t always be so gentle.”

“Promises, promises. Always with the prom—” Hendrix almost bit his tongue in half when the smirking Reyes engulfed his cock into his mouth. “ _Fuck.”_

Giving a spare thought to whether they’d locked the door, Hendrix surrendered himself to learning all about the skilled mouth working up and down on his shaft. He gripped Reyes by the hair to tug him impossibly closer while his other hand clutched at the edge of the sofa. He studiously ignored the twinges in his shoulder whenever his body arched up.

_Fuck._

It felt too good to be real.

_Everything about Reyes always feels too damn good to be real._

It went in a blur. Hendrix had flashes of awareness—of the warm and silky damp surrounding him. His head dropped back on the couch, and his eye closed while he wallowed in the rising rush of pleasure.

Reyes lifted up to say something but Hendrix couldn’t hear a thing. The man dropped back down on him. His fingers strayed past Hendrix’s balls further down until his fingers brushed against sensitive parts that had him seeing stars.

“Fuck. I can’t…” Hendrix practically swallowed his tongue mid-sentence when the teasing fingers swirled around. “Just…”

The pleasurable torture lasted for hours—or more like minutes. Hendrix thought all the nerve endings in his body were on fire before the blissful end. Reyes seemed determined to wring every ounce of ecstasy out of him.

 “You alright?” Reyes leaned up over him with concern in his eyes. “Hendrix?”

He blinked the sweat out of his eyes and stared up at the man still pinning him to the sofa. “What?”

“You blacked out.”

“The fuck? I didn’t.” Hendrix glanced down and then back up to realize that he had apparently experienced something more intense than he could ever recall experiencing in his previous sexual escapades. “You’re going to be insufferable now, aren’t you?”

Reyes grinned at him before kissing him. “Someone’s been knocking on the door for a while now. We should probably see who it is before they try to get inside.”

“ _Bastard._ ” Hendrix stumbled around on his feet trying to get his head to clear while pulling up his clothes. “I’d kill for coffee.”

He didn’t have time for any discussion with Reyes. A message had apparently come in from some of the _Tempest_ crew. They’d left additional supplies for him not far from the slums. He’d need to rush to get them before scavengers found the crates first.

“Can I borrow a shuttle?” Hendrix began to suit up in armor that Reyes had procured for him to replace his damaged set. “Fuck it. I’ll steal one.”

“Borrow, Hendrix, _borrow._ ”

The wisest course of action for the moment seemed to be to ignore completely what had just happened. Hendrix ducked away from Reyes, skirted past Ryoto who wanted to check on his shoulder and procured a shuttle for himself. He’d sort out his disjointed thoughts later—much later—with a few cigarettes and whisky to help him.

“Hey, kid.” Drack drew Hendrix’s attention from where he’d been searching through the new supplies _accidentally_ waylaid from the Nexus while on route to Kadara. They’d been left just outside of the gate to the slums. The krogan had been waiting alongside them to check up on him. “You know The Pathfinder’s been spending a lot of time with Kosta.”

“Has she?” Hendrix replaced the lid on the container. He hadn’t been able to tease his sister about a relationship in years—over six hundred years to be exact. _Long overdue._ “How very fucking interesting.”

“They went off on their own to investigate some of the pools to make sure the sulphur is gone.” Drack gave a gruff laugh. “You should check it out as well. Just to be sure.”

“I should.”

“What’s that thing you squishies like to say? Merry Christmas.”

Hendrix snickered at the krogan. “Stop listening to Suvi when she tells you about things.”

After Drack had helped him get the supplies into his shuttle, Hendrix made his way across the badlands. He dropped it deftly into one of the shallow ponds next to where his sister appeared to be having a picnic. Joplin shot up only to curse at him when he jumped out of the shuttle.

“ _Hendrix._ ”

“A very, very large and old bird told me that you might be in danger.” He grinned at his sister who flushed bright red with embarrassment and anger. He waved cheerfully at the man beside Joplin. “Liam.”

“Shouldn’t you be in hiding? Or recovering?” Liam grinned at him.

“Me? Why?” Hendrix decided to needle his sister further. “Is your girlfriend going to shoot me again?”

 _“Hendrix._ ”

Hendrix backed up toward the shuttle still smirking at the couple. “Now, I know it’s likely you’re both a bit rusty after six hundred years of celibacy—but make sure you use protection and no rolling around in sulphur ponds unless SAM tells you the water is safe.”

“HENDRIX.”

 

 


	9. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm open to prompts and ideas so feel free to comment with them. =)
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

“Why?” Joplin sat next to him on a large boulder several hundred yards away from the new outpost on Kadara. They hadn’t had a chance to talk alone before now. “Why back Vidal over Sloane? _Over me._ Is it because you like him? He’s—”

Hendrix pinched the bridge of his nose and hissed at her to cut her off. He dug around in his pocket to find his cigarettes. “He’s helping. Sloane uses and abuses them. She sold the exiles on this better life outside of the Nexus, and now she’s practically enslaved them. How the fuck is that _better_ than what Reyes wants to do? He’s been helping keep them alive while not taking advantage of the angaran who fucking welcomed us and we fucked them over.”

“Henny.” Joplin plucked the pack out of his hand, threw it in the air, and used her flamethrower to incinerate the cigarettes. “Terrible and disgusting habit.”

“You sound disturbingly like dad.” He loved his sister dearly, so he held back his sneer at the through of their father. “What’s wrong? You’re frowning so hard the wrinkles are going to become permanent.”

“Joining the Initiative was supposed to bring our family back together again.” Joplin’s breath hitched several times while she spoke. “Mom and Dad are dead. We keep getting further and further apart.”

“You did shoot me.”

“ _Hendrix._ ”

He bumped their shoulders together. “Remember what mom used to tell me?”

“Listen to your sister.”

“Hilarious.” Hendrix reached up to tug on a lock of her hair. “She said things always get better. Of course, she also lied because she said one day Dad would understand me. Pretty sure he died not getting who I am.”

“Would you stop that?” Joplin snapped at him. “Let it go.”

“Why? Alec Ryder doesn’t get a fucking sainthood just because he sacrificed himself for you.” He didn’t know if he could ever fully ‘let it go’ or forgive his father for never being there for him. _Ever._ “If you only asked me out here to fucking lecture me, I’ll pass on it—thanks.”

Joplin reached out to grab his hand to stop him when he started to stand. “You can’t leave yet.”

“Yet? What the fuck do you mean yet?” Hendrix narrowed his eyes on her. She refused to look him in the eye. _Never a good sign._ “What have you done?”

“Nothing.”

“So, not you, but you know something. Joplin.” Hendrix spun away from his sister and raced to his shuttle. He couldn’t help the terrible suspicion eating away at him about why she’d suddenly wanted him to come to the outpost. He sent a message to the Collective base in warning before trying to contact Reyes directly. “Reyes? Reyes. Now is not the fucking time to play hard to get. Can you hear me?”

“Hendrix?”

_Well, thank fucking god._

“Everything alright at the base?”

“Here, yes. Sloane attacked one of our many decoy bases.” Reyes went silent for a minute. “How did you know?”

“Joplin’s sounded desire for a heart to heart smelled a bit fishy.” Hendrix flew slowly across the badlands; he made a few random turns and stops in case anyone had eyes on him. “I’m heading back. We’re going to have to deal with Sloane before she deals with us.”

“I’m aware,” Reyes agreed readily. “Vetra sent a message.  There’s a rogue group of exiles that might be responsible for some of the disappearances somewhere beyond Spirit’s Ledge. She thought the Pathfinder might be _too_ busy to look into it. Maybe we should investigate it together?”

“You’re idea of a second date needs a hell of a lot of work.” Hendrix flew the shuttle higher up over a mountain range only to frown when he spotted a small group of vehicles near one of the peaks. “Hey, Reyes? You hear any rumours about weird tech.”

“No.”

Hendrix landed on the opposite side of a boulder large enough to hide the shuttle. “I’m checking this shit out.”

“Not alone—”

“I’ll ask for forgiveness later.” Hendrix shut off the comm and grabbed his rifle. “Need to take my frustrations out on someone. Now, who do we have here?”

_Kett._

_Fuck._

Watching for several minutes through the scope of his rifle, Hendrix counted six enemies in total. He also noticed several supply crates and vehicles. They’d make a great addition to the Collective if he could take out the kett without destroying any of it. He breathed in and out slowly until the weapon steadied in his hands.

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

_Four._

_Five._

_Fuck._

_Where’s the sixth one?_

Setting his black widow aside, Hendrix grabbed his pistol. He shot up over the boulder and hovered with the help of his jetpack. A weapon fired from off to the right, but the blast went wide. He dropped quickly to the ground to stalk the lone kett across the jagged, rocky outcropping.

_Six._

“Take that asshole.” He shot the last kett and kicked him off the mountain. “What’s that sound?”

He spun around just in time to be launched into the air by an explosion. _Well, fuck._ His back had bashed into ledge before he used his jetpack to jump up. He grasped at the edge of one of the rocks to throw himself up over.

_That could’ve gone better._

Lying back in the dust with a tired groan, Hendrix caught his breath. He eventually got to his feet and placed a tracker on the supplies. The comm in the shuttle pinged at him repeatedly, but he decided to ignore it and fly directly back to the base.

_Reyes can yell at me in person._

He didn’t shout at him. Hendrix found himself directed straight to the med bay. Ryoto checked him over to ensure the brief flash with death hadn’t injured him—it hadn’t.

After convincing both the doctor and the charlatan of his lack of injury, Hendrix dragged Reyes toward the shuttle. He’d heard enough about the disappearing exiles that it didn’t seem wise to put off investigating. Two hours later, he wished he could erase the entire thing from his memories.

“How could they do it?” Hendrix wanted to burn his clothes and take six showers to get rid of his feeling of disgust. “Eating people. It’s—I don’t even have words.”

Reyes shook his head, appearing to be just as disturbed. “This is why I want to stop Sloane. She has made the desperate more desperate. She’s forced those who are weak and vulnerable into positions where they’re choosing between which manner of death will be the least painful.”

“I’ll be in the shower trying to drown myself.” Hendrix fled from the shuttle and disappeared into the base.

By some miracle, Hendrix managed to avoid Reyes for the rest of the day. As night fell, he climbed onto the roof of the highest building in the base. He reclined on his back to watch the sky and try to make sense of his day.

_Kett. Joplin. Sloane. Cannibals._

_Fuck._

Whenever Hendrix had a moment to himself, he fought to keep away the feelings of being far out of his depth. Life had never been easy as a Ryder even before his dad fell from grace. Even so, at twenty-two, he knew his experiences hadn’t prepared him sufficiently.

Reyes climbed onto the roof and sat beside him. “What’s your favourite memory from before?”

Hendrix tilted his head back to stare up at the night sky. He considered the question carefully. “Oddly enough it involves my old man. He taught me how to shoot--how to take care of my weapons. It’s about the only fatherly thing he did when I was a kid.”

“You’re still a kid.” Reyes blocked Hendrix’s arm easily when he went to whack him in the leg. “You’re twenty-two. You’re barely old enough to carry a weapon.”

“Better shot than you.” Hendrix refused to sink into thoughts of his family. “What do you remember most about the Milky Way?”

“The way my grandmother made coffee every morning.” He shifted down on the roof of the base to stretch out and watch the stars. “The way my grandfather would serenade her to sleep at night when she became ill and couldn’t get out of bed. I learned to dance watching them.”

“You can dance?” Hendrix asked curiously. “You don’t seem the type.”

“Don’t I?”

Hendrix tilted his head to get a better look at Reyes. “Why’d you decide to join the Initiative? I mean, I can’t see you buying into all the hype.”

“Perhaps I wanted to be someone.”

“You’re someone to me.” He reached down to take Reyes' hand in his own. “I know a bit about wanting to forget who you were before—wanting to become someone better.”

Reyes lifted himself and moved swiftly to straddle Hendrix. He brought his hands up to brace on either side of him. “Thank you for not judging me.”

Hendrix threw an arm around Reyes’ neck and pulled himself up until brush their lips together. “Who I am to fucking judge? Also, I’m not fucking you on a roof with half the collective watching.”

“Only half?”

 


	10. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking a number of liberties with the limited information available about who Reyes was in the Milky Way. So, that part, at least, is just my headcanon and not necessarily actually canon.  
> I'm open to prompts and ideas so feel free to comment with them. =)
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

For two days, Hendrix found himself figuratively chained to the base. Someone always seemed to find something that needed his immediate attention. On the third day, he decided to evade the evasive manoeuvring.

With a borrowed shuttle, Hendrix went out into the badlands to check on a group of exiles. He’d helped them fix up their comms a few weeks earlier. They’d made him promise to come back.

_I always keep my fucking promises._

_Only Ryder who does._

He hadn’t been surprised when Joplin (and _The Tempest)_ left Kadara port. The Pathfinder had her outpost. It was clearly time to move on with other more important things.

Sloane had been left to handling things on the planet. Hendrix had no doubts that life would go from bad to worse for the exiles and angaran who hadn’t joined the outcasts. He decided his entire purpose would be dedicated to being the fly in the ointment to her plans.

_I’m not abandoning good people to her fucking whims._

After visiting with the small group and helping repair their comms yet again, Hendrix stepped outside to find a familiar figure leaning against the shuttle. Reyes watched him through narrowed eyes. His glare only deepened when Hendrix whistled merrily and offered him a playful salute.

“Ryder.”

“Vidal.” Hendrix raised a hand up to his chest. “I’m Hendrix if you’ve forgotten.”

“Where—”

“Funny thing,” Hendrix interrupted cheerfully. “I’m fairly confident both my parents are dead, so I’ve no idea why someone thought I could be grounded to a base for my safety. A bit misguided. I’m a better shot that almost everyone in your mini army.”

“Sloane—”

“Won’t stop until someone puts a bullet between her eyes.” He smiled broadly at the increasingly fierce glare sent his way. “I agree completely. I’m hoping to be the one who does it.”

“Will you—”

“Let you watch? Of course.  It’ll be a moment to be shared.” Hendrix crossed his arms lightly over his chest. “Something wrong, Reyes? You seem agitated.”

It was easy to see the moment the man’s patience snapped completely. Reyes grabbed Hendrix by the arms, spun him around, and practically flung him against the side of the shuttle. He shook him lightly but before he could start whatever his little lecture would be a loud cough interrupted.

“We’ve an audience. Say hello to my friends.” Hendrix peered over Reyes' shoulder to see several of the exiles with guns pointed their direction. “It’s okay. He’s not going to hurt me. We’ll just be going now.”

Trying not to choke on laugher, Hendrix dragged Reyes into the shuttle.  He released him once inside. The door slid shut, and they stayed silent for several minutes.

“It’s dangerous.”

Hendrix couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer. “It’s dangerous? Have you suddenly become my nanny? _It’s dangerous._ What part of this entire fucked up journey to Andromeda hasn’t been filled with life-threatening and life-altering moments? What the fuck, Reyes?”

“You almost feel off a mountain.” Reyes seemed uneasy with the vehemence behind his own words. “One of my people found part of your armour on the outcropping of the cliff where the kett supplies were. You never mentioned you took a tumble over the ledge.”

“More like launched off it like a rocket,” Hendrix shrugged indifferently. “I’m fine—bit bruised—but okay. I know you enjoy working from the shadows, but I’m not one of your puppets. I’m not a member of the outcasts, _Charlatan._ You don’t get to order me around. We’re allies.”

“I’d hoped we were more than mere allies.”

Hendrix took the mildly spoken words for the rebuke they were likely meant. “Well, yes, but that’s beside the point.”

“Is it?”

He reached out to cover Reyes’ eyes with his hand. “Stop staring at me like that. It’s making me feel guilty when I haven’t done a fucking thing wrong. _Evil bastard._ ”

“Handsome, evil bastard.” Reyes tilted his head up and kissed Hendrix’s hand.

“Why do you say that like it solves everything?” He yanked his hand away to avoid being distracted. “I’m not your Pathfinder doll that you sit on a ledge in your base and play with every once in a while.”

“You’re not the Pathfinder.” Reyes grabbed one of the buckles on his armor to drag him closer. “And you’re most certainly not a doll, but I’d gladly play with you any chance I am allowed.”

Hendrix stepped away from him and moved up to pilot the shuttle. “We’re going to have to talk about Sloane.”

“We’re going to _have_ to talk about you fainting with pleasure.” He slid into the seat next to Hendrix. “Which subject would you like to discuss first?”

“I didn’t faint.” Hendrix batted way the hands that reached out to take over flying. “Quit it.”

“In another life, I was a pilot.”

Hendrix glanced over at Reyes, who had up until now been almost a closed book about his past. “Were you?”

“Anubis,” Reyes said offhand. “My call sign.”

“Alliance?” Hendrix tried to keep his voice casually—hungry for anything on the shadowy Charlatan.

“Something like that.”

Gesturing for Reyes to take control of the shuttle, Hendrix thought back to everything he knew about Alliance call signs. He’d been taught how to fly in his teens by one of the best pilots—in his opinion—in the entire fleet, Steve Cortez.  They’d lost touch after the man had been reassigned to a colony.

_And I chose to go six hundred years into the future._

“What did you fly?”

“Shuttles.”

Hendrix took the sharp one-word answer for the warning to move the conversation on that it was. “Are we—together?”

“Together?” Reyes asked.

“Don’t deflect when you wanted to fucking talk about it.” Hendrix stretched his legs out on top of the console. “I mean when is a blowjob just a blowjob and when is it a blowjob with a side of something more.”

“Hendrix?”

“Yes?”

“Shut up and return the favour.” Reyes spread his legs ever so slightly as a blatant invitation.

“And when is a blowjob merely an invitation to give one of my own?” Hendrix teased before standing up to remove his chest plate. It would make squashing himself into the cramped space in front of Reyes easier. “If you crash the shuttle, I get to be the one to shoot Sloane.”

“And if I don’t?”

“I still get to shoot Sloane, but you can be smug about not crashing.” Hendrix dodged the hand that went to smack him on the shoulder. “Now, now, I’m about to have my teeth near your most sensitive parts. Don’t tempt me.”

It took a fair bit of work to slide himself between the console and seat. Hendrix managed to get underneath it with a prime spot in the middle of Reyes spread thighs. _Fucking hope he doesn’t faint._ He reached up to unzip his trouser and ease his cock out of them.

_Well, hello._

“ _Hendrix,_ ” Reyes hissed at him when he ran his tongue in slow circles around the head.

“Don’t crash.” Hendrix continued to tease him.

Ignoring the muttered ‘get on with it,’ Hendrix chose to take his time. He explored Reyes with feathered touches and light licks, content to amuse himself with the exquisite torture. The cock against his lips pulsed with eager anticipation—as did the impatient man attached to it.

Reyes dropped a hand onto his head and pushed him further down the moment Hendrix took his dick more fully into his mouth. “ _More._ Now.”

Allowing him the pretence of control, Hendrix focused on working continuing to draw out the moment. Each sharp intake from Reyes encouraged him. He learned quickly what the man enjoyed most—and exploited it fully.

The fingers in his hair tugged sharply with a clear message to do more. Hendrix smirked around the cock in his mouth. He sucked harder and brought his hand up to add further stimulation.

He took him deeper and allowed his teeth to graze ever so slightly against the hot and tender flesh.  His fingers wrapped around Reyes’ balls and tugged sharply on them. The man cursed at him in Spanish before bucking up against him.

_And that’s how you get the shady charlatan to lose control._

A second later Hendrix slid across the floor when they bumped against something. He glanced over at Reyes to find the man trying desperately to catch his breath and regain control of the shuttle. Rolling over on his back, he didn’t even bother to hide his laughter.

“We didn’t crash—we might’ve grazed that mountain,” Reyes snapped breathily.

“I’d take you seriously but your dick’s hanging out of your trousers.” Hendrix slid across the floor yet again when Reyes banked sharply to the right. “Bastard.”

“Wipe your mouth like a good boy.”

Hendrix got to his feet and wandered back over to wipe his mouth purposefully on the back of Reyes’ shirt. “I still get to shoot Sloane.”

 

 

 


	11. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am shamelessly using another OC of mine from another story (Universal Truth/The Truth Retold) in this chapter--Stuart Wallace. He won't really appear much, so no worries, just probably a mention or two. He seemed the perfect sort of person that Hendrix would respect.
> 
> I'm open to prompts and ideas so feel free to comment with them. =)
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

**Dad left memories for me.**

Without SAM’s interactions through his busted implant, Hendrix had been blissfully on the outside of Initiative business, for the most part. Drack and Vetra didn’t count—they didn’t really fall in line with the Nexus protocols for anything. His sister, however, kept him updated on every little accomplishment made toward making Andromeda home.

He didn’t care. He cared about his sister. He didn’t give a pyjack’s testicles about the Initiative’s so-called wins—there were bigger concerns on his mind.

The rule of Sloane over the port had become more despot dictator than a freewheeling pirate queen. Bruised and battered innocents flocked to the collective for help—and not the Initiative. The outcast had to be kicked out of Kadara.

_We’ve got to dethrone Sloane._

_Oh, that rhymed._

_Fucking idiot._

A full-scale war in the port would likely lead to mass causalities particularly of the innocent. Sloane might not care, but Hendrix did. They had to be smarter.

Hendrix returned his attention to the message from his sister. Joplin, with SAM’s help, had deciphered memories that their father had left. They all seemed to be about shady happenings both in The Milky Way and within the Initiative.

In all honesty, Hendrix had always expected to find something suspicious about the sudden flight to Andromeda. Someone had invested far too many credits for it to all be squeaky clean. At the time, he’d been reminded of something one of his mentors had told him: _when someone with credits and power gives generously to help others—you fucking watch for the other shoe to drop._

He’d watched Stuart Wallace’s career enough to know the man spoke from personal experience.  They hadn’t really spent much time together, but he’d learned a great deal in the limited time he’d spent with the man. He’d been his drill instructor in the Alliance as well until his mom convinced him to join the Initiative instead.

_And see how well listening to her has gone._

He wondered idly what Wallace would've thought about the way things in Andromeda had crashed and burned. It wouldn't have surprised the man at all. They'd have been in better hands with someone like Wallace in charge as opposed to the conniving politicians on the Nexus.

“I have a problem.” Reyes joined him on the rock outside of the Outcast base where Hendrix had been keeping watch for any problems. “Care to give me a hand?”

“Ryoto probably has a cream for any weird itching.” Hendrix found himself knocked off the boulder. He rolled on the grass laughing for a moment before finally sitting up. “What’s the problem?”

“Someone’s been stealing supplies.” Reyes suddenly refused to look him in the eye. “Could you find your way to Kralla’s Song to ask Umi if she’s heard anything about a smuggler named Zia?”

Hendrix scratched the scruff on his chin for a minute while pinning Reyes with a suspicious glare. He knew Reyes couldn’t waltz into the port without winding up in a gun battle while The Pathfinder’s brother could sneak in and out slightly more easily. “What’s this _really_ about?”

“Missing cargo.”

Pulling out a pack of cigarettes, Hendrix lit one for himself but refused to offer one to the lying bastard nearby. He got to his feet and stepped closer. It might be partly about missing cargo—but something else had Reyes on edge.

Hendrix inhaled slowly and made his decision. “If your secrets get me shot again, Reyes…it’s going to take more than a blowjob in a storage closet to make me forget.”

“ _Hendrix._ ”

All of his work helping the exiles had earned Hendrix a free pass amongst many of those who still lived under Sloane’s thumb. He managed to speak with Umi without any interference. His mood plummeted fairly rapidly after their brief and enlightening conversation.

_Lies, ex-girlfriends, and more lies._

_And I’m not fucking jealous._

Maybe if he repeated it several times between the port and the outcast base, it might sound more believable when he said it out loud.  Tracking down the meeting place Umi mentioned provided him with a bit of space to process things. It didn’t take long however for him to meet up with Reyes where the supposed cargo had been stashed.

“Give me a hand?” Reyes called out when he stepped into the building. “Can’t get this damn lid off.”

“Fine.” Hendrix wandered over to him. “Did you plan on telling me about this being more than just stolen cargo?”

“What are you talking about?” Reyes kept his eyes focused on the crate. “Shit. It’s empty.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Hendrix kicked at the empty crate. “Perhaps your ex is pissed off at you?”

“Ah,” Reyes winced visibly. “Zia isn’t—”

“Yes, Reyes? What am I?”

Hendrix spun around to see an attractive and armed redhead blocking their exit. “Well, isn’t this just the cosiest meeting ever?”

“Zia.” Reyes glared at the woman.

“You could never resist a big pay out.” She threw the words at him like weapons. “Selfish bastard.”

Hendrix rolled his eyes at what was clearly meant to be an attack on Reyes. “He’s a bastard. He’s definitely selfish, but he’s a far better man than you give him credit for.”

Zia shook her head with a hard laugh. “Oh, aren’t you sweet. What young fool you are.”

Reyes stepped forward between them. “Leave him out of this.”

Before the conversation could devolve into further idiotic posturing, Hendrix pushed things along. It didn’t take long to discover the local smugglers had it out for Reyes. _Surprise, surprise._ One hard fought gun battle later found the two men surrounded by dead bodies. It was hard not to see it as a complete waste.

_No credits, no cargo, lots of dead smugglers._

They opted to burn the place to the ground. No evidence. Hendrix strode away from the building toward his shuttle. He couldn’t deal with Reyes at the moment.

“Hendrix.”

He hopped into his shuttle and flew off without responding. It exhausted him to deal with a man who always had an angle. _Maybe not always, but a fair amount of the time._ He couldn’t help thinking Reyes should’ve told him about Zia.

* * *

 

_From: Joplin_

_To: Hendrix_

_Subj: Careful._

_Little brother,_

_We took back the salarian Ark from the Kett._

_The Archon is seriously messed up. You should know he knows I have a brother. I think it might make you a target._

_Be careful._

_Will you?_

_Joplin_

 

  


 

 


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm open to prompts and ideas so feel free to comment with them. =)
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

Since he’d cleared out Mallox’s crew already for poisoning angaran, Hendrix decided to play squatter in their now empty lodge. He hunkered down on one of the bunks. It surprised him that none of the gangs, or others, hadn’t laid claim to it yet.

_I’ll have to mention it to Kian; he’ll know of any exiles who might want a safe refuge from Sloane outside of the slums._

Tossing and turning through the night, Hendrix couldn’t shake his aggravation at Reyes. They’d been building something together, or he’d thought they had. He didn’t think it too much to ask for the lies to stop at some point.

In the Ryder clan, Joplin had definitely been the _good_ child. Hendrix hadn’t necessarily been a bad kid, but if anyone was a black sheep—it was him. He’d been a lot of things in his young life, but never a compulsive liar.

His mind spun in circles. It went from his issues with the shady Charlatan and the disturbing news about the kett. His sister hadn’t told him what she found, but Drack and Vetra had sent him updates on everything they found.

Everyone had hoped Andromeda would be a fresh start.

_A golden world._

_Fool’s gold, maybe._

“Hendrix?”

He lowered the weapon he’d raised instinctively when Reyes held his hands up at the entrance to the building. “Careful. I wouldn’t want to accidentally shoot you.”

“Only accidentally?” Reyes smirked at him, clearly content to pretend nothing had happened. “Are you—”

“Shut up.” Hendrix hopped out of bed and stretched slowly. He glowered at Reyes who continued to grin at him. “I honestly thought we were fucking past the point of hiding in shadows, _Charlatan._ ”

“Hendrix…”

He rubbed his eyes with a tired sigh and stared blankly at the Reyes. “I can’t fucking trust you because you continually remind me that you’ll fucking lie to me if you think it serves your purposes. I’ve lost my family. I’m an exile. I’ve got a fucking target on my back from Sloane. What I don’t need in my life is to constantly have to doubt the person who I’ve allied myself with.”

“I am sorry.”

“And?” Hendrix had heard ‘I’m sorry’ so many times from his father that it had stopped meaning anything a long time ago. “If you say _sorry_ , but intend to do the same fucking thing again. Well, it’s a meaningless apology, isn’t it?”

“I _am_ sorry.” Reyes blocked Hendrix’s path when he moved to exit. “Can we talk over breakfast? Please?”

“Why?”

Reyes caught him by the neck to drag him forward. “We’ve…”

Hendrix cut him off by headbutting him hard enough that Drack would’ve been proud. “We? We? Really?”

Reyes grabbed him by the wrists and swung him around until Hendrix found himself pinned against the side of the bunk beds. “Yes. _We._ I should’ve told you about my history with Zia.”

“Yes…”

Reyes silenced him with a kiss hard enough that their clash of teeth cut Hendrix’s bottom lip. “She meant nothing to me.  We had a fling—Zia and I. Nothing more, nothing less. I never mentioned her because in comparison to what we might have she seemed entirely insignificant.”

“Did she?”  Hendrix barely got two words out before Reyes sucked Hendrix’s bottom lip into his mouth. He brought his arm up to forcibly move the almost irresistible man out of his personal space. “It’s a bit convenient. ‘She didn’t mean anything to me.’ She meant enough to be your fucking ex. Ex usually implies someone had a place in your life at some point.”

Reyes stepped forward only to stop when Hendrix pressed the barrel of his pistol into his chest. “Going to shoot me?”

Hendrix rolled his eyes at him. “Give me one reason I shouldn’t send your lying ass out the door.”

“You’ve already forgiven me.” Reyes moved forward, which forced Hendrix to pull his arms back closer to his body. “Put the weapon away.”

“Get the fuck out of my space.”

At a clear impasse, Hendrix narrowed his eyes when Reyes smirked at him. A second later they grappled for the weapon. Even with his Alliance training, he found the older, more experienced smuggler got the upper hand on him.

They wound up on the floor. Hendrix rolled with one hand still firmly holding onto the gun. _Thank fucking god the safety is on._ Reyes flipped him over on his stomach and straddled his hips; he pressed Hendrix into the floor with a forearm digging into his back.

Reyes surrendered his attempt to control the weapon and grabbed Hendrix by the hair to tug his head back. “Surrender?”

“Not a fucking chance.” Hendrix used a move taught to him by Wallace to twist around and buck the man up slightly. He tossed the weapon aside to avoid either of them getting accidentally shot before launching himself up in a move that allowed him to swap positions with Reyes. “Surrender?”

“Not a fucking chance.” Reyes continued to smirk at him, which annoyed him even more. “Are you enjoying this, Hendrix? It feels as though you are.”

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Charlatan and his toy.”

“Fuck.” Hendrix leapt off Reyes and retrieved his weapon to immediately point it at Sloane. “Your highness. How goes it in the land of the despot princess?”

“I’ve a deal for you, Ryder.” She leaned casually against the doorframe. The small gap allowed him to easily spot the numerous guards behind her. “I want the bastard who tried to triple cross me. Killing the pathfinder’s brother won’t be good for business. I imagine you’d rather be alive in any case. So, you let me take out the garbage, and I’ll let you live.”

“Garbage?” Hendrix went from absolutely furious at Reyes to stepping between the man and danger. “You’re not even in the same league with him. You’re a bottom feeder—a vulture who fucking takes advantage of others.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Hendrix spotted a canister sitting just in front of Sloane. He shoved Reyes down behind a nearby container and fired one shot. The explosion sent him flying backwards onto the top bunk.

Hendrix woke up to someone shaking him. He blinked several times, coughed at the acrid smoke choking him, and finally realized he couldn’t hear Reyes shouting at him. His ears were ringing too loudly. “Is she dead? Are we dead?”

Reyes shook him again still shouting.

“I can’t fucking hear you.” Hendrix batted at the hands on his arms. “You’re making me queasy.”

Reyes snapped his fingers to draw his attention to his mouth and spoke with a slow and precise exaggeration. “Never do that again.”

Hendrix decided to play dumb. “No idea what you’re saying.”

Another hour in Ryoto’s kind care had Hendrix feeling much better and perfectly capable of hearing Reyes. The man hadn’t stopped ranting about risk taking. He hadn’t seemed to care whether or not Hendrix understood him.

“Sloane was injured—not killed.” Reyes eventually provided him with useful information. “Kaetus dragged her off and left us to die in the flames. What were you thinking?”

Hendrix reached down to grab for his cigarettes only to realize the heat from the flames had ruined them. “Fuck. My last pack.”

“ _Hendrix._ ”

“Sloane is only going to keep coming. It’s time to cut the head off the snake.” Hendrix felt a little shaken and didn’t have the energy to go toe to toe with Reyes. “Let’s deal with her and the outcasts.”

“And us?”

“Are we an ‘us’?” He collapsed on the sofa in his little room with a tired groan. “Sloane first…less important stuff later.”

“Whiskey first.” Reyes joined him with a bottle in his hands. “Important stuff second. Sloane third.”

“Important stuff?”

Reyes offered him a drink. “You saved my life at the risk of your own.”

“You’re too pretty to die.” Hendrix chuckled when Reyes flicked him on the ear. “It’s too fucking early for _serious_ talks about where this is going. I’d rather talk about where Sloane’s fucking going.”

“If we must.”

“Maybe breakfast first? I’m starving.” He set the bottle of whiskey on a nearby shelf. “No alcohol before coffee.”

“Alcohol with coffee?”

“Acceptable.” Hendrix got slowly to his feet and grabbed the bottle. “Spiked coffee it is. Hey, Reyes?”

“Yes?” Reyes glanced over when Hendrix stopped him by the door.

“You’re not garbage.” He might be a little ticked off at the man—but he honestly believed Reyes was at a heart a good man trying to do his best for people the Initiative had left to rot. “You’re not fucking garbage. I’d never leave you to die…and you’d make a far better ruler of Kadara than the queen bitch.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m still fucking pissed off at you.” Hendrix grinned at him. “Might forgive you if you find me another pack of cigarettes.”

“Consider it done.” Reyes wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “I’ll make breakfast for us.”

“Not going to poison me are you?”

“You’ll see.” Reyes led him through the base, refusing to drop his arm. They bumped shoulders frequently until they reached the small kitchen at the base. "How adventurous are you feeling?"

"Not very." Hendrix still felt the smoke in the back of his throat. "Seriously. I'm not eating some weird shit for breakfast."

 

"Only slightly weird."

"Fuck."


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definite AU take on canon events in Kadara. Death of a character, as well, though shouldn't be a surprise if you've completed the Kadara part of the game. 
> 
> Smut should be in the next chapter. My boys are finally ready to play nice, I hope. lol
> 
> I'm open to prompts and ideas so feel free to comment with them. =)
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

“Hey, kid.”

Hendrix acknowledged Drack with a grunt and nod of his head. He’d hidden in a corner of Tartarus with his hoodie pulled up over his face. One of Vetra’s contacts was supposed to meet up with him. “I didn’t know the _Tempest_ had docked.”

“Pathfinder's checking on the outpost. She’s got the other two squishes with her.” Drack rested against a nearby column, blocking Hendrix from view. “Why are you skulking about in the shadows? Been spending too much time with Vidal?”

“I’m waiting.” Hendrix didn’t think his new krogan pillar would help encourage anyone who wanted to approach him. “You’re drawing unnecessary attention to me.”

“Don’t worry. They’re too busy staring at me to worry about you.” Drack nudged him—almost knocking him to the floor. “So, want help with Sloane? I owe her one.”

“What…”

“You’re sneaker than the Pathfinder, but I’ve been alive too damn long not to see through you. Want help or not?” Drack glared at a drunk who stumbled away. “Pathfinder won’t let me shoot just anyone.”

Hendrix snickered at how petulant the massive krogan sounded. “Joplin won’t be happy with either of us if we succeed.”

“When we succeed, you can worry about it.” Drack clearly wasn’t worried about it. “I’m too old to care.”

“Too old to shoot?” Hendrix teased only to be knocked off his seat by a chuckling krogan. “ _Hilarious._ ”

“Let’s go shoot someone.”

Hendrix had a distinct feeling this would end badly, and _maybe_ he should’ve told Reyes where he was heading. “Eh. Why not? All this plotting in the dark hasn’t done a fucking thing. Time for a direct approach.”

“I like the way you think.” Drack grabbed him by the arm to drag him up to his feet. “Let’s go.”

Stopping to have a whispered conversation with Kian, Hendrix wanted to send word to the non-Outcast exiles in the port. Within minutes, they’d hopefully be out of the way of any stray fire. He had no doubts that Drack’s version of a direct approach would be blasting through the front door.

_Reyes is going to kill me._

_Fuck._

_Joplin’s going to kill me._

_Lexi’s going to kill Drack and then me and then Drack again._

Potential impending death aside, Hendrix had to admire the way Drack blasted his way through Sloane’s minions. Hendrix ensured to screw with the lock on the door, hopefully delaying any reinforcements.  They fought their way through to the throne room.

After a blistering ten-minute close range gun battle, Hendrix found himself surrounded by dead gang members. Drack held Kaetus off in the corner. He had Sloane pinned to her throne with his pistol dead center in her forehead.

“You won’t shoot me.” She held her injured hand to her chest. Hendrix had blasted her weapon right out of her fingers. “You’re Nexus. You’ve got rules…the _good_ guys always do. What would the Pathfinder say?”

Hendrix narrowed his eyes on her when she started to move. “Classic fucking mistake. Everyone makes it.”

“What’re you talking about?” Sloane froze when he pressed the barrel flush against her skin.

“I am _not_ my fucking sister.” Hendrix watched the expression on her change shift from confident to just a hint of fear. “I’m an exile, remember? I’m the failed Ryder. Joplin? She’s the idealist—the hero. I’m no fucking hero, Sloane.  And you should _never_ have tried to kill Reyes.”

“Wha—”

Hendrix cut her off with an unforgiving blast to the head. She died instantly—spraying him with blood. He spun on his heel and toward the door without looking back. They had to secure the port before any of the Outcasts got any ideas. “Drack?”

“Vidal will want this one alive.” Drack prodded Kaetus with his shotgun. “Should probably leave one of them to answer questions.”

Leaving Drack to secure the turian in one of the cells, Hendrix picked through the crates in the storage room until he found a bottle of water. He rinsed all the blood from his face and armor slowly. There’d be time for regrets later if he had any of them.

Two bottles of water cleaned away any evidence of Sloane’s death. Hendrix grabbed a third one to drink and sat on the edge of one of the larger crates. He knew Reyes would show up eventually; Kian likely sent him a message the second they left Tartarus.

“Incoming.”

Hendrix lifted his head at Drack’s warning. “Outcasts?”

“Collective.” Drack ignored the friendlies and joined Hendrix. “I’ll be on the _Tempest._ ”

“Scared Joplin will know you were involved?” Hendrix grinned at him. “Hey, Drack?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.” Hendrix had no regrets at finally having dealt with the threat of Sloane. Kadara might always be more Omega than Citadel, but the cruel beatings and callous murders had to stop. “Don’t let Lexi see you.”

“Annoying pyjak.” Drack whacked him on the shoulder before heading off with a wave.

Reyes joined him several minutes later. “We’ve secured the rest of the port.”

Hendrix reclined back against one of the stacked boxes. “You can thank me later.”

“Thank you?” Reyes’s eyes glinted with what looked like barely suppressed rage. “You _risked_ your life—with no back up to take on Sloane. What _were_ you thinking?”

“I had a krogan. He’s practically an entire squad on his own.” Hendrix would back Drack any day above entire Alliance units. “Hell…he’s a fucking army.”

“You risked—”

“She had to be deal with.” Hendrix crossed his arms and glared at Reyes. He wouldn’t feel guilty for handling things. “Subtle didn’t work.”

“So you launched a krogan at her?”

“I shot her.” Hendrix wished he’d remembered to grab a pack of cigarettes. He needed the distraction. “Someone had to do it.”

“Not like this, not without someone at your side,” Reyes snapped sharply. “They could’ve overwhelmed you.”

“They didn’t.”

“You took unnecessary risks.” Reyes clearly had no intentions of letting the matter go. “You didn’t even tell me.”

“Oh, go sit on your fucking throne. I bought it just for you.” Hendrix hopped off the crate and shouldered past the man. He didn’t expect effuse poetry, but a thanks would’ve been appreciated. “Throw yourself a party. I’m going to make sure Kaetus can’t escape out the back door.”

 _“Hendrix.”_ Reyes caught him by the arm to swing him around and back into the storage closet. “Why didn’t you tell me about your plan?”

“Wasn’t a _plan_ so much as a spur of the moment idea,” Hendrix shrugged.

Reyes ran a hand across his face while muttering curses under his breath that Hendrix grinned at. “We’re partners.”

“Are we?” Hendrix didn’t think they’d ever really talked about the future of Kadara. “Put Keema in charge. Keep the angaran happy. I’m no king on a throne, and neither are you.”

“Rule from the shadows?”

“What else would a shady bastard do?” Hendrix threw a hand out to grab Reyes by the belt to drag him over between his legs. He tilted his head up for a kiss. “Going to fucking thank me?”

“Thank you?” Reyes pushed him back against the crates and his teeth found Hendrix’s neck. “Not sure it’s thanks that you deserve.”

“Everyone’s a critic.”

“Hendrix Alec Ryder. What the hell have you done?” Joplin’s shout had the two men springing apart. “Was the blood bath _absolutely_ necessary?”

“Uhm.” Hendrix leaned around Reyes to find his sister glaring at him from the door with a disapproving Cora on her left and frowning Liam on her right. “Yes, yes it was.”

 "You slaughtered--"

"I ended the reign of a despot who happily battered and murdered innocents. She took money to protect them only to then allow her gang to beat them to death. She took advantage of the kindness of the angaran." Hendrix gently pushed Reyes out of his way and got to his feet. He stood toe to toe with his sister, refusing to back down or feel bad. "You would've regretted aligning yourself with her. She would've exploited you for every inch she could get. It's over and done with. I made the right decision."

Joplin stared him down for several long, awkward minutes. "I hope you know what you're doing, Henny."

"Me fucking too." He grinned.

 

 

 

 

 


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life got in the way a bit for me. Sorry for the delay. Short chapter to help me get back in the swing of things.
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

“Are you hiding or is Reyes?”

Hendrix glanced up from the terminal he’d been fixing at one of their outposts. “Ryoto? What the hell are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be doing doctor shit somewhere else?”

“You’re hiding.” Ryoto crossed his arms and gave Hendrix a disappointed scowl that he usually received from Dr Carlyle or his dad. “What is this accomplishing? Running around everywhere but where you’re actually needed.”

“Is he pouting?” Hendrix got to his feet and hopped up on a nearby crate. He pulled out a cigarette to light it, ignoring the deepening of Ryoto’s scowl. “Save the fucking lecture, Doc. I’ve no intentions of quitting my only bad habit.”

“The only one?”

“Only one you’re likely to tell me off for.” Hendrix grinned wickedly at him. “Are you even safe out here? What the fuck are you doing out here? Did Reyes send you?”

“No.” Ryoto became intensely interested in his omni-tool. “Not as such.”

With a roll of his eyes, Hendrix translated the answer to actually mean that Reyes had asked Kian to ask Ryoto to ask Hendrix when he’d be returning to the main base. _Fucking idiots._ After Joplin had continued her mission to find Meridian, he and the _Charlatan_ had words. Lots of them—most were composed of four letters and flung at each other. He’d left the man to his throne until they’d both calmed down.

Somehow in the process of deciding every terminal in every Collective base needed to be fixed, Hendrix forgot to return to Kadara. He knew Reyes had taken up residence at Tartarus again. He also knew the man expected him to go with him.

He didn’t.

He would…eventually.

“Go back to the port or the outpost, wherever it is you’re doing your doctor thing, Ryoto. I’m fine. Tell Reyes if he wants to talk—I’m not difficult to find.” Hendrix crouched down once again to continue his work.

“Hendrix.”

“Busy, Doc.” Hendrix used his biotics to gently ease Ryoto out of the door. “Thanks for the visit. Send food next time.”

_I’d kill for a fucking pizza and beer._

_Maybe not kill._

_I’d maim for a fucking pizza and beer._

In all honesty, Hendrix had greater things to worry about than pizza, beer, and Reyes’ hissy fit over him dealing with Sloane. Kett had been showing up in small scouting parties for the last two weeks. They left, came back, left again, and the cycle repeated every other day.

_What are they looking for?_

_Who are they looking for?_

When Hendrix messaged his sister, Joplin refused to give him any information. _I’m busy, Henny. You’re not Nexus. And don’t ask Drack or Vetra. Or Lexi._ She knew him well. She didn’t, apparently, know her crew well.

Drack and Vetra both filled him in on what they’d found on Meridian. Joplin apparently had the Tempest sending out proves into scourge clusters.  They hoped to find enough information for them to do something with the Remnant _thing_ they’d discovered.

The Pathfinder hadn’t been amused when she realized no one intended to pay any attention to her demands to keep him out of the loop. Hendrix loved his sister. He didn’t necessarily enjoy the parts of her personality she’d gotten from their father.

_Dad would’ve understood the need to keep things secret. He was an N7. Why can’t you let me do this?_

He didn’t respond.

Why bother?

Leaving Joplin to whatever she was doing with the other pathfinders; Hendrix attempted to figure out how to keep the Kett away from Kadara’s port and outpost. He was out near Spirits’ Ledge when they caught up to him. He found himself surrounded by far more than a scouting party.

He fought as hard as possible, but the kett overwhelmed him. 

_Reyes is going to fucking kill me._

 


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not actually sure how many more chapters this will have. With the 'canon/non actually canon' plot stuff mostly out of the way, the rest of the story will mostly be sex and stupid couple shit lol.
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

On a scale of one to royally fucked, Hendrix decided he had gotten himself into a royally fucked up situation. After the Archon had grabbed the Ark Hyperion under the mistaken assumption that he was on it based on his sister’s memories, the kett immediately began to search for him on Kadara. They’d found him.

From what Hendrix understood, the Archon wanted to use his SAM implant to activate whatever was on Meridian. _Hard fucking luck for him._ The kett didn’t seem to know his particular implant hadn’t worked since waking from cryo.  Neither Harry or Lexi had been able to get it online and with his dad permanently offline—odds are it would never function outside of allowing him access to his biotics.

It wasn’t until they’d reached Meridian that the Archon discovered his implant was faulty.

It hadn’t been a pleasant experience for either of them.

“Ahh, the bitter pain of disappointment. Hurts, doesn’t it?” Hendrix smirked through the pain. It felt like the Archon was trying to rip his brain out of his skull. “A bit of a human an emotion to feel. Don’t worry; I won’t tell all your little-inbred kett buddies that you fucked up.”

“You _will be_ silent.”

“Not likely.” Hendrix rolled his neck trying to ease the pain and tension while working to see if he could get his hands free at all. “Came out of the womb talking according to my mom. Do Kett have parents?”

“You will be silent.”

Hendrix felt blood starting to drip from his nose from whatever pressure the Archon was putting on his mind. _Fuck._ “Yeah, how’s that whole mastery of the fucking universe with your mind shit working now, asshole?”

The butt of a rifle hit him in the forehead and Hendrix collapsed back in his seat. He tried to cling to consciousness, not wanting to be knocked out and vulnerable.  A second whack to the head took the decision out of his hands entirely.

“Fuck me. Did Drack belly flop on my head?” Hendrix dragged himself into a state of awareness. He couldn’t move which caused him to panic until he heard Lexi’s voice calmly telling him everything would be fine. “Where the fuck am I?”

“Mind your language.” Lexi leaned over him. “You’re on the Tempest. Your sister thought you’d prefer to be here than on the Hyperion.”

“Heaven’s fucking weirder than I imagined.” Hendrix tilted his head to get a better look at his surroundings. “Huh. Med bay. So, not fucking dead?”

“No, you’re not. It was a close thing.” Lexi squeezed his hand gently. She released the restraints connected to the bed to allow him free movement. “I only engaged this to make sure you didn’t injure yourself, but be sure to stay lying down. I want to run a few more tests before I let you run free. I’ll go let your sister know you’re awake.”

_What?_

Given SAM could connect Joplin to Lexi easily; Hendrix found her quick escape strange. He only had a few seconds to wait until the answer became clear. Reyes. The shadowy king of Kadara strolled into the _Tempest_ Med Bay casually, but worry and angry shone clearly in his eyes.

“You’re a long way from Tartarus. Your grungy couch might think you’re cheating on it.” Hendrix teased the grim-faced Reyes. “What’s the matter? We won. Didn’t we? I can’t see the kett letting us all live if we’d lost. Cheer the fuck up.”

“Cheer up?” Reyes folded his arms tightly across his chest. He twisted away from Hendrix. “I carried you onto the ship. Lexi wasn’t sure how much damage had been done to your brain.”

“I’m too hardheaded to…”

“Don’t fucking make a joke of it.” Reyes spun around and crossed the short distance, stopping himself at the last minute as if he’d wanted to shake Hendrix. “I thought you were gone. Dead. Blood from your nose. You weren’t responding.”

“So…not dead. That’s good, though. Right?” Hendrix found the heavy emotions hard to handle. He’d never dealt well with such things. _Ryder men are emotionally constipated._ His mother always teased her husband and son about being so similar. “Reyes?”

“I’m returning to Kadara in a few hours. The Nexus leadership aren’t comfortable with exiles. I represent everything they dislike.” He reached out to drag his knuckles along Hendrix’s jawline. “I was expressly warned not to excite you. Not sure Lexi appreciated my request for a detailed list of what that entailed.”

Hendrix grinned broadly just imagining the asari doctor’s response. “I’ll have to ask her for a copy of the list.”

“Will you be returning to Kadara?” Reyes kept his expression so perfectly blank that Hendrix couldn’t read anything from the carefully bluntly stated question. “The Pathfinder believed you’d be returning to the Initiative’s fold.”

“Henny! You’re awake.” Joplin burst into the room before Hendrix had a chance to respond to Reyes, who used the distraction to depart. “Henny?”

He couldn’t help glaring at his sister. He didn’t want Reyes leaving with the impression that their relationship ended before it began. There was so much he wanted to do to the man—with the man. “Help me up.”

“Lexi said.”

“Joplin. Help me get up out of this fucking bed or so help me I’ll find the most humiliating vid I have of you and post it so everyone on this ship can see it.” Hendrix had a wide variety to choose from. He wasn’t surprised when his sister rushed to help him up. “Brilliant. I didn’t collapse. Get Kallo to lock the ship down, will you? I don’t want Reyes ducking out like the slippery bastard that he is.”

They caught up to him outside of the airlock, which wouldn’t open for him. Hendrix had used up all of his energy just to walk the length of the ship to the cargo bay to use the lift—the ladder had been an impossible task for him. He almost fell into Reyes' arms.

“What do you think you’re doing out of bed?” Reyes brought his arms around him to keep him up on his feet. “Hendrix?”

“You’re not fucking going anywhere without me. Stupid asshole.” Hendrix hissed out the words. Lexi was going to kill him. “You hear me? You’re not going home without me.”

 "Henny."

"Don't even start." Hendrix managed to glare at his sister. "Oh, wait, what the fuck is Meridian anyway?"

 

 


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long it's been. Not sure where this story is going lol.
> 
> Thanks for any kudos, comments and subscriptions. It's like candy for a writer. =) It keeps me fueled to write more lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bioware Owns all Sadly.
> 
> Magical Betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929

Despite all of Joplin’s grand claims, Life hardly changed at all on Kadara. Exiles weren’t welcomed with open arms into the Initiative. The outpost on the planet received the bare minimum to survive.

They’d begun to learn to work around those on the Nexus. It became clear slowly, but surely the politics of their old universe had snuck into this one. Tensions between the Krogan and the rest continued to grow despite Joplin’s claims to want to ensure peace for everyone.

While Hendrix healed up from his injuries, he prodded Reyes into coming up with a contingency plan. He suspected the outpost on Kadara would either be closed or a push would be made for the port to join the fold officially. They’d be policed—perhaps kinder than Sloane, but it wouldn’t be the freedom most of the exiles wanted.

“You’ll get wrinkles if you continue to frown so much.” Reyes slipped into bed with him. He looped his arm around Hendrix, who continued to read through messages on his omni-tool. “This is _not_ resting.”

“We’ve got to start making plans.”

“Plans for what?” Reyes leaned forward to read the notes Hendrix had been making for himself. “You really believe your sister will abandon the outpost here?”

“I don’t think it’s entirely up to her. I also believe she has a little too much of our father in her.” Hendrix had never been blind to the faults of his father, sister, and mother—and himself. He’d inherited his mom’s bleeding heart; Joplin had received their dad’s ambition. It served them well at times, and others worked against them. “I’m tired of us barely surviving. It’s time to take what Sloane left us—and what the Initiative will no doubt leave behind.”

“So, what? We create our own Utopia?”

Hendrix shut his omni-tool down and relaxed carefully back into Reyes. He still had a lot of healing to do. “Not Utopia. I’m not Sloane—or you. I’ve no interested in being king. But, we could make the port into a truly functioning city that welcomes everyone.”

“How?”

“Trade.” Hendrix might have gotten his mother’s bleeding heart, but he’d also inherited her knack for thinking outside of the box. “Vetra told me about how some colonists set up their own independent nation—Advent. Why can’t we do that here? Just without the overbearing gang queen threatening to kill everyone. We’ve both got connections that would make it workable.”

“You’ve thought about this a lot.” Reyes dropped his head against the pillow. “It would be so much work.”

“Worried about breaking a nail?” Hendrix rolled out of the way when Reyes tried to smother him with a pillow. “We all came to Andromeda for this grand dream. The Initiative doesn’t see any of us as part of that even with finding Meridian, and all the fucking rainbow magic bullshit they claim comes with it. Why can’t we build Kadara into a dream for everyone that’s been fucking thrown away?”

“And how do we manage it?” Reyes grabbed Hendrix by the arm to drag him back over. “You’re supposed to be resting. Not plotting worldwide domination.”

“Says the fucking Charlatan.” Hendrix twisted around so he could bite Reyes on the neck. Ryoto had warned him to avoid any strenuous activity for at least another week. It had been _really_ hard. Pun intended. “Drack says the krogan are tired of the bullshit as well. I don’t think we’d be alone in this.”

It might all blow up in their faces. Hendrix might also be wrong about the Initiative’s plans. He didn’t think so, not with the less than subtle hints coming from Vetra.

 It had been an understatement when Reyes suggested the Nexus leadership weren’t comfortable with exiles. They’d all hoped with finding Meridian and Spender being gone that there would be a way to reconcile for those who wanted it. Only a few had managed to return to their families, and most had been refused entry.

Meridian had changed Hendrix. His slight apathy to things had sharpened into a deep caring. He’d seen the monsters in Andromeda—and they hadn’t all been Kett.

His time before Andromeda had taught him leadership rarely did what was best for everyone. He’d studied human history enough as well to know it wasn’t the first time nor would it be the last. Joplin might be content to follow the Nexus leadership; he wasn’t.

They didn’t want him anyway.

He’d gotten an apology—via a message from the Nexus leadership.

It hadn’t included an invitation to return, no matter what Joplin believed.

_Just read between the lines, Henny._

The trouble with that was Hendrix knew exactly what had been between the lines. _Stay the fuck out of Nexus business._ He didn’t mind as it was precisely what he intended to do.

Sort of.

Hendrix settled back against Reyes, resting his head against his chest. “You up for it, Charlatan?”

“And if we end up taking on the Initiative?”

“They want to forget we fucking exist. I doubt it would come to that.” Hendrix threaded his fingers with Reyes. “Don’t you want to make a real difference for all the exiles? For everyone on this fucking planet who the Nexus would prefer to ignore?”

And the krogan.

Kesh and Drack had both expressed concerns about the way certain members of the Nexus leadership had begun to fall back into the old prejudices. The jump to Andromeda was supposed to leave all that behind. Hendrix sometimes wondered how anyone had been naïve enough to believe it.

“It won’t be easy,” Reyes warned.

“Nothing in Andromeda has been easy—aside from you.” Hendrix snickered when Reyes flicked him on the ear. “Am I wrong?”

“I’ve no idea what you.”

“Of course—” Hendrix was cut off completely when Reyes dragged him up into a kiss. He pouted when Reyes released him a second later. “Fucking doctor’s orders.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hendrix Reference: https://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/158871130521/hendrix-ryder


End file.
